It’s been just over two weeks since the launch of the M4 iPad Pro, which means it’s time for a longer-term look at the updated OLED display, AI-focused processor, super-slim design and new accessories that include the Apple Pencil Pro and Magic Keyboard .
The design of the new iPad Pro is perhaps the best overall feature, and the reduction in weight and thickness makes a difference whether you’re traveling or just using iPad at home. At 5.1mm, the 13-inch iPad Pro is Apple’s thinnest device to date, and a tablet this size and thickness continues to impress. Two weeks later, there’s no hint of “bendgate” thanks to the reinforced rib that Apple included under the hood. There’s an argument that some people would prefer a larger battery over a slimmer design, of course.
Apple has moved the front-facing camera to the landscape side of the iPad Pro, and it’s a small but notable change. If you use your iPad with a keyboard in landscape orientation, but have had to awkwardly switch it to portrait mode for a FaceTime call, this is a tweak you’ll appreciate. It’s much more natural than treating an iPad like a giant iPhone.
The iPad Pro OLED display has no competition. This is the best display Apple has put into an iPad, and you won’t find a better tablet display available from competing products. Apple uses tandem OLED technology (basically stacking two OLED displays on top of each other), and the brightness and contrast are unmatched. Movies look great, the iPad does well in bright light, and HDR makes images pop.
Compared to the previous generation iPad Pro with a mini-LED display, the OLED display is better, but not so much that it’s worth upgrading for that alone. Coming from an LCD, however, the difference is much more noticeable.
The latest iPad Pro with an M2 chip is incredibly fast, and the M4 is even faster based on benchmarks. You won’t find much that will max out the M4 processor in everyday use, but you will see higher numbers in benchmark tests comparing the M4 iPad Pro to the M2 iPad Pro. Editing videos and creating tracks in Final Cut Pro and Logic Pro is super fast with the M4, but it was also super fast with the M2. Perhaps the M4 chip will shine when iPadOS 18 is updated with a host of new AI features, but for now it’s too much.
Apple removed both the Ultra Wide camera and mmWave 5G in this version of the iPad Pro, and most people probably won’t miss those features. The question of whether a 13-inch tablet needs any kind of rear camera is up in the air, and mmWave 5G speeds are still pretty limited in availability. Sub 6GHz 5G remains and that’s fast enough for downloading, streaming and playing games.
As far as accessories go, the Apple Pencil Pro is basically the same as the Apple Pencil 2, but with a few new tricks. You can squeeze to bring up the menus, so you don’t have to hunt around for settings to do things like change line thickness or color, and there’s a cylinder rotation feature that basically does things like change line thickness on tilting the Apple Pencil so that it behaves more like a real writing or drawing tool. Find My might be the most useful addition for being able to locate your Apple Pencil if it goes missing, and Haptic Feedback is also nice to have.
The Magic Keyboard looks a lot more Mac-like thanks to that larger glass trackpad and aluminum palm rest. The trackpad is nicer to use than before, and the function keys are also a big plus for controlling media, changing screen brightness, and more without having to dig into the Settings app or Control Center.
Unsurprisingly, the iPad Pro is without a doubt Apple’s best iPad and possibly the best tablet on the market. The main downside is the price, with the 11-inch model starting at $999 and the 13-inch model starting at $1,299. These are Mac prices, and while the iPad hardware is worth it, you’re paying a lot for the limitations you face when using iPadOS. There are workflows that work with a tablet, but many people won’t be able to replace a Mac with an iPad.
You also have to pay for the 1TB+ iPad Pro if you want maximum performance, as the 1TB and 2TB models have an extra CPU core (10 cores vs. 9 cores) and 16GB of RAM instead of 8GB.
